12:40am

Statehouse News

Primary Vote Tally Certified

The results of Kentucky’s May 17th primary election have been officially certified. It took the State Board of Elections less than an hour to go over the numbers and certify the primary vote tallies. Secretary of State Elaine Walker says the only exception to the election night vote count was addressed in a recanvass conducted two weeks ago.

“We’d already gone through the recanvass in terms of the secretary of state’s election on the republican side, so it was a simple affirmation of the results we had been given by the counties," said Walker.

The recanvass confirmed that Bill Johnson defeated Hilda Legg for the republican nomination for secretary of state. Johnson faces democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes in November. The elections board also certified the primary vote count in contested races for five other constitutional offices.

Walker says the official tallies will be posted on her office’s website.

“And that way, as you’re going through, if you’re reviewing anything, doing any research, these will be the officially certified results," said Walker. "We have a letter that, of course, is going out to all of the winners, whose certification will be sent in the mail, along with a letter from me, congratulating them.”

Walker says the board’s focus now turns to the November 8thgeneral election.

“One of the things that we do in all of our meetings is that we approve reimbursement for the various counties who have applied for new machines - voting machines," said Walker. "And we don’t really expect a huge influx before the next election, but there will, I’m sure, be some of those coming in.”

Walker was defeated on primary election night by Alison Lundergan Grimes. Walker was appointed by Gov. Steve Beshear in January to fill the unexpired term of former Secretary of State Trey Grayson, who resigned to accept a position at Harvard University. Walker serves until the end of the year.